


The Haunting Of Rosebud Motel

by letitmakeyoustronger



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: A Ghost Story, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe-first kiss, Brief Mention of Blood, Everybody is fine though, Halloween, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Violence, Other, Two Ghosts, a little scary, alternate universe-first meeting, at the end of the day it's still a love story, inspired by all kinds of ghost shows and movies, nothing graphic, one nice, one not so nice, recreational drug use-mentioned, the conjuring meets supernatural meets ghost adventures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:35:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27181879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letitmakeyoustronger/pseuds/letitmakeyoustronger
Summary: Strange things have been happening at the Rosebud Motel for months, but only David has been taking it seriously. That is until someone unexpectedly dies in Room 4 and things really begin to get strange. Who are you going to call? Ray of course!  Patrick Brewer is a former ghost hunter who is tasked with figuring out exactly what is happening at the Rosebud Motel. It's a ghost story, but it's also a love story.Things do get a bit scary for our favorite characters, but in the end everything is okay!
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 5
Kudos: 48
Collections: Schitt's Creek Trick Or Treat





	The Haunting Of Rosebud Motel

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [SCTrickOrTreat](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SCTrickOrTreat) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Shortly after acquiring the motel after the death of her Aunt Maureen, Stevie realizes the motel is haunted. She's probably just suck it up and ignore it if it weren't for the Roses. Enter: Patrick, who handles these kind of things. Make it silly like Ghostbusters or dark like Supernatural or The Conjuring, etc. Have fun with it! Either way, with a happy ending for our main cast and a ghost free (or amicable living situation) motel. Subplot of David and Patrick falling in love, of course.
> 
> Author's Note: For the purposes of this story, Johnny helping Stevie run the motel and renaming it the Rosebud happens a bit earlier than what we see on the show.

The Rosebud Motel looks unassuming from the outside. The white siding is discolored and in need of a good cleaning, the air conditioners in the windows are old and slightly rusted. Someone has made an attempt to make it look nicer with some pots of flowers but still it looks like what it is; a roadside motel that people use as a stopping off point between points A and B. No one stays longer than a night or two and while the guests never have anything bad to say there is really nothing memorable about it at all.

That all changed when a man died unexpectedly in Room 4. Suddenly people were checking out early and then no one was checking in. The motel stayed vacant except for the family staying in Rooms 7 and 8. This is their story and their experience.

* * *

_The Day Before_

David walks into the lobby while Stevie is checking in a guest. She watches as he glances at the table in the corner and knows he is thinking about snagging the last cinnamon roll but probably won't because he won't want to give her the chance to harass him about his extreme love for baked goods, plus he's already had two today and she knows that's usually the limit for him unless there's a Downton Abbey marathon on. David sits on the couch with a sigh which she ignores as she checks in the last guest of the night into his room. She hands him the key to room four and after he leaves she looks at David and raises her eyebrows waiting for him to get on with whatever brought him into the lobby.

"It happened again."

Stevie just rolls her eyes, "David, a ghost isn't using your under eye serum, how would that even work? Have you asked Alexis? Or your mother?"

"Yes and they both said they haven’t used it, though Alexis' dark circles are noticeably lighter."

Stevie smirks and throws up her hands, "Then why are you bothering me about ghosts again?"

"Okay maybe Alexis is the serum thief but that doesn’t explain the other things that have happened the last few months!"

Stevie turns to look at her computer, inputting the details from the guest who just checked into Room 4. The motel is full for the first time in years and she hopes it's a sign of things to come. She had been scared when she'd inherited it from her Aunt Maureen a few months ago but Mr. Rose had stepped up to help and for the first time in a long time she felt hopeful about the future. David’s exaggerated sigh draws her attention back to the present and she turns to look at him. She's heard this theory a dozen times before but David is her (only) friend and to be honest she gets a kick out of his stories, even if they are ridiculous.

"Okay what happened this time? Did one of your sweaters move an inch again? Or was there an unexplained wrinkle on your bedspread? I know, your toothbrush was facing east instead of west!"

David glares at her, "If you must know, one of my rings was moved from my nightstand to the table."

"It's probably just Alexis messing with you. You know she does that when she's bored."

“Except Alexis wasn't here last night! She went out with Twyla and then stayed at her place."

Stevie sat up a little straighter at that. "Okay well maybe that is a little weird, but I'm sure there's a logical explanation."

David just looked at her and arched one of his very expressive eyebrows. "If you have one then I'm all ears."

"Maybe you moved it in your sleep?" Even she knew how lame that sounded.

"I'm telling you Stevie, this motel has a ghost!"

Stevie wants to tell him he's being ridiculous but the truth is she has noticed a few strange things happening around the motel too. The light bulb in one of the lamps in the love room has blown several times even after being replaced with brand new bulbs, there was that one time that the door to the inner lobby office closed behind her and she swore she'd heard a woman's laugh once. She quickly shakes her head, no she's not going to let David’s stories get to her. All those things could be explained but any number of things. She turns off the computer, grabs her bag and walks around to the front desk stopping in front of David, reaching into her jean pocket and pulling out a joint.

"We don't have a ghost but we do have this. Are you in?"

She already knows the answer so she's not surprised when David stands up and follows her out the door. They've both left so they don't notice the picture of Aunt Maureen slide across the desk.

* * *

_Day One_

David is getting ready for the day when all hell breaks loose. The man staying in room 4 apparently died in his sleep and everyone is freaking out. His father and Stevie are trying to figure out how to remove the body without alerting the other guests, and his mother wants to move out immediately. David agrees with her, and says as much but nobody seems to really be listening so he goes back to his room to finish getting ready for the day.

He walks into the bathroom and stops short when he sees a message written on the mirror in the steam left from his sister's shower. " **RUN**. Really Alexis can you be any more obvious?" He turns and walks out of the room to yell at her, but before he can say anything to his sister his father bursts into their room and tells them to pack up their things because their room is needed for a guest. Alexis and David both argue against that, but in the end they pack up their things for the night and the message on the mirror is quickly forgotten.

* * *

Strange things continue to happen over the next few hours but they are either ignored or explained away and quickly forgotten as everyone goes on with their lives.

***

Johnny is checking people out when the lights start flickering, he just shrugs at the guests and makes a comment about calling an electrician as he hands over paperwork and credit cards to the them.

***

Alexis is sitting at the table reading a textbook for one of her college courses when she swears she feels someone playing with her hair. She looks around and frowns when she doesn't see anything, but before she can really think about it her phone notification for Instagram goes off and she's quickly distracted by the latest Kardashian gossip.

***

Moira is taking a nap when a noise startles her awake and she swears there's somebody standing at the end of the bed but when she flicks on the light no one is there so she assumes it was just her imagination upon waking up from a dreamscape.

***

Stevie is cleaning and changing the linens in room 4 trying not to think about a person dying there a few hours earlier when the door to the room swings open and slams against the wall. She lets out an undignified yelp and walks to the entrance to see if anyone is there. There isn't but there's also a breeze so she assumes she just didn't close the door tight enough and goes back to making the bed.

***

That night two guests ask for their money back because their televisions keep turning on at full volume and won't shut off. Johnny hates losing business and makes a note to figure out where to get the money to upgrade the old sets to new flat screens.

* * *

_Day Two_

Alexis wakes up to David yelling about his sweaters. She peeks her head up from under the covers and looks at the clock. She lets out a muted scream when she sees the time. "It's 8:30 in the morning David!"

David turns to her holding up one of his Neil Barrett sweaters. "Why were you going through my sweaters?"

She frowns at him. "I wasn’t, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Well someone was in my chest because all my knits have been disorganized!"

"Well it wasn't me David, I learned my lesson about touching your things when you got mad at me about those dumb tamagotchis."

"You killed 6 fully grown tamagotchis you monster."

"Lick rust."

***

Stevie is walking past room 4 when she hears a man's voice. She frowns as she steps closer to the door, there shouldn't be anyone in there this early. She quickly opens the door assuming she'll find Mr. Rose in there but the room's empty. She notices all the chairs are pushed away from the table even though she knows they were pushed in when she finished cleaning it yesterday. She wonders if some local kids are messing with her, it wouldn't be the first time. She quickly pushes them back in and makes a note to herself to talk to Mr. Rose about upgrading the locks. She exits the room, locking the door behind her.

***  
Moira is walking to the bathroom when she notices one of her wigs on the floor. Frowning she picks it up, and upon examination it looks undamaged so she places it back in its correct spot. She frowns as she looks over her wig wall and reaches for the spreadsheet she keeps in the top drawer of her dressing table. She compares her notes to the wall and notices several of her wigs are in the wrong spot. She quickly fixes them before turning towards the kids room. "David, what did I tell you about taking liberties with my wigs for your play acting?"

David looks up from scrolling through his phone and frowns. "First off, I haven't done that since I was 11 and I never used your wigs, just your pearls and silk gloves. Secondly, are you sure you weren’t reorganizing them after you took your sleeping pill again?"

Moira frowns, "Perhaps? I will have to confabulate with your father about making sure I remain in bed after taking my sleeping aid."

***

Once again that night several guests leave after nightfall complaining about strange noises and lights flickering on and off. Johnny begins to wonder what is going on.

* * *

_Day 4_

A scream pierces the Rosebud Motel. David jerks awake, yelling about moths and women in business shoes. Another scream brings the room he shares with his sister into focus and he jumps out of bed. The scream also wakes up Alexis who looks at David wide eyed but before she can say anything the door between the rooms is flung open and their father rushes into the room.

"Kids something tragic has happened-" A wail interrupts him and he turns wide eyed as Moira comes into the room holding a wig in her hand or at least the remnants of a wig. She throws herself on Alexis' bed and lets out another sob.

"A tragedy has befallen us all, my oldest bébé has been destroyed."

David walks over to Johnny, and whispers, "Not Caroline?"

Johnny nods, "Your mother found her in the toilet this morning. I don't know what happened but she's gone, there was no saving her."

David draws his father into the other room, hopefully Alexis can keep their mother distracted while he talks to his father.

"There’s been a lot of strange things happening lately."

Johnny just looks at him. "What do you mean?"

"Strange noises, things being moved around and didn't you say people have been checking out early?"

Johnny nodded, 'Well yes, but I'm sure all those things have a reasonable explanation--"

"Okay but how do you explain Caroline being destroyed?"

Before Johnny can reply there's a knock on the door. Johnny walks over and opens it and sees Stevie on the other side.

"Hey Stevie, what's going on?"

"There’s something strange going on in room 4," she says as she walks into the room. Her eyes widen as she hears sobbing from the other room. "Is that Mrs. Rose?"

David nods. "Someone or something destroyed her oldest wig."

Johnny holds up a hand. "Stop David, I'm sure there's a logical explanation...I just need to think of one." He sits on the end of the bed and rubs his hands up and down his thighs.

David watches him for a moment before turning back to Stevie. "What's going on in room 4?"

"Well the other day I noticed the chairs were pushed back from the table and I know I put them back. This morning they were moved again only this time they were all on top of the table. Plus it just feels creepy in there like someone is watching me."

David turns and looks at his Dad. "See, strange things keep happening and it's gotten worse since that guy died the other day."

Stevie looks between the two of them. "What other things have happened?"

"Well my ring was moved for starters, and there was a strange message written on my mirror the other day and now your issues with room 4."

Johnny nods. "The people who left early said the lights kept flickering and the tv wouldn't turn off but I just thought it was an issue with the wiring."

"All I'm saying is this weird stuff started happening after that guy died."

Stevie shakes her head. "Yeah but your ring being moved happened before that, and you've been complaining to me about strange things happening for months."

David tilts his head and holds out one arm, pointing at her, "Okay, I think complaining is a little harsh and it's true that some things were happening before the guy in room 4 died, but none of those things were necessarily creepy, just strange. So maybe there are two ghosts?"

Johnny looks incredulous. "Really David? Ghosts? I think you've been watching too many of those shows on cable."

Stevie speaks up, "Maybe David is right, I've never really thought about ghosts one way or the other but Mr. Rose even you can't deny something strange is going on."

Johnny stands up from the bed and starts pacing the small room. "Well I don't know what to do, I never had to deal with ghosts at Rose Video!"

Stevie speaks up, "I have an idea but I think we should talk Alexis and Mrs. Rose first."

Johnny looks towards the closed door. "Well the sobbing has quieted down so that's a good sign. Just give me a few minutes to talk to her."

* * *

  
It took a few hours for Moira to pull herself together enough to be able to talk about the things she'd seen the last few days and Alexis also shares her experiences. It's pretty obvious upon hearing everyone's stories that something definitely wasn't right and that something had to be done. It's Stevie who offers the only solution, albeit a crazy one.

"We can call Ray."

They all look incredulous at that suggestion.

"Ray? You think Ray can handle this?" David asks.

Stevie shrugs. "He can't do any worse than us."

Moira speaks up from the bed where she’s been lying since coming back to her room. "John, I simply cannot stay here one more moment. We must pack up my girls and part ways with our humble abode until whatever this is has taken leave."

Johnny nods, he will always protect Moira and keep her safe so of course he will take her away. "I'll make reservations for us in Elmdale, kids I assume you can call Ray and take care of this situation?"

Alexis raises her hand. "Um I think I'm going to stay with Twyla for a few days."

David looks at Stevie and throws up his hands. "Oh my god, so you are all just going to leave me here for the ghosts to get?"

Johnny just looks at David. "Well if you think about it David you're the perfect person to handle this situation, after all you watch all those ghost hunting shows every weekend!"

"That doesn't mean I want to live through a real life Supernatural episode!"

Stevie rolls her eyes. "David I'll stay here with you."

David looks at her and tilts his head. "Okay you definitely aren't doing this out of the kindness of your heart, so why would you agree to stay with me?"

"Because you're my friend, and you helped me a few months ago when Aunt Maureen died and I don’t like owing anyone anything, so I will stay here with you and then we'll be even."

David tilts his head back and balls his hands into fists at his side. He lets out a long suffering sigh and looks at her, pointing a finger towards her face. "Fine but if I get possessed by a ghost I will never forgive any of you."

Stevie just needs and heads to the front door. "Understood. I'll go call Ray."

* * *

_Day 8_

"Ray called."

Stevie called Ray four days ago about coming out to the motel but as he explained to Stevie, he was very busy with his photography and closet organizing businesses so it would be a few days before he could venture out to the motel and help with the ghost situation. So for the past four days David and Stevie have been dealing with weird noises and things moving and once David swears he saw a shadow walk past his window. They both stop going into room 4 because it just feels too creepy. The guests have stopped checking in as well and last night for the first time in a while the motel had no check-ins. David is fed up and ready for this whole experience to be over. He's barely slept in days and even his 9 step skin care routine can't hide the bags under his eyes anymore.

David looks up from the magazine he's reading. "Is he finally coming?"

"Well he's not, but apparently he has a new associate who just arrived in town and he's going to be here in a few hours."

"An associate? Listen, trying to come to terms with Ray helping us with this situation was hard enough but at least we know him!"

"Well according to Ray it's his new associate or nothing because Ray is booked solid for the next two weeks."

David tosses the magazine down on the table, "Fine, but if this person doesn't know what to do, we are leaving and I'm moving in with you."

"Well that's not going to happen so let's hope this guy knows what he's doing."

"And tonight you are sleeping in the bed by the door, it's bad enough worrying about ghosts, I don't also want to worry about getting murdered first by them. Also are we not getting cinnamon rolls delivered anymore?"

Stevie just rolls her eyes. "No we aren't and I'll flip you for the bed"

* * *

Patrick pulls into the parking lot of the Rosebud Motel and takes in the building. It looks slightly rundown but clean and someone appears to be making an effort with some flower pots along the sidewalk in front of the rooms. He takes a deep breath before gathering his notebook and pen. He's not quite sure how he ended up here. Actually that's not true, he knows exactly how he ended up here. A few weeks ago after finally ending things with Rachel for good, he answered an ad in the paper written by Ray Butani, who was looking for a business manager, little did he know that Ray had multiple businesses but still it was a good job that included a room to stay in, and it was far enough away for Patrick to explore some newly realized parts of his life without being under the watchful eyes of his parents or ex-fianceé. He loves them all, but he knows he needs to figure this out on his own and a job with Ray in Schitt’s Creek seemed like the perfect place. And it was great, until Ray recognized who he was and convinced him to go check out the reported ghost(s) at the Rosebud Motel.

So here he is, about to meet with the proprietor of the motel and a guest about their purported haunting. He takes another deep breath and unbuckles his seat belt and exits the car, shutting the door behind him and heading to the lobby entrance. He hears two voices speaking and though it's hard to make out it seems like they are talking about murder and cinnamon buns? Patrick just shakes his head and opens the door. Two pairs of eyes immediately sweep over to him and Patrick feels his breath stutter in his chest as he takes in the tall man sitting on the sofa. Can one's heart actually skip a beat? Is that a thing? He has no idea but he can't look away from the man with the deep chocolate eyes and if he has any lingering questions about his sexuality they are washed away by the beautiful man with the impressive eyebrows, and plump kissable lips, not to mention the perfectly coiffed dark hair that seems to defy gravity. He quickly shakes his head and tries to pull himself together. He's here to do a job after all. He just hopes he wasn't staring too long. As he glances at the woman who he's basically ignored since walking in the door he notices her sly smirk and well maybe he didn't get away with staring. He ignores her smirk and holds out his hand.

"Stevie Budd?" She nods and takes his hand in a quick but firm handshake. "I'm--"

"Patrick Brewer."

Patrick turns to look at the man who's captured his interest. He offers him a smile and can't help but notice the other man's eyes widen. He reaches out his hand, "That’s me and you are?"

The man grasps his hand and Patrick can't help but notice how soft it is or the spark that shoots up his arm at the contact. "David Rose." They hold hands a few more seconds before Stevie clearing her throat has them pulling apart. Patrick already misses the contact.

He turns back to Stevie, who is still wearing that smirk as she looks between the two men. She turns to look at David.

"How do you know who he is?"

David glances at Patrick with a raised eyebrow, seemingly asking if it's okay to tell her. Patrick just nods, he would have told them eventually anyway.

David looks back to Stevie. "Patrick is part of a television show with his fiancée Rachel called _The Not So Dearly Departed_. It's a show about families who claim to have spirits in their homes who haven't moved on. Rachel is a medium who tries to connect with the spirits on a more personal level, while Patrick uses more scientific methods to either find a reasonable explanation for the activity or to try and connect with the spirits. Then Rachel tries and help them move on."

Patrick smiles. "That's it in a nutshell, except Rachel is actually my ex-fiancée, and the show was cancelled, they just haven't announced it yet."

"That’s too bad, it was a very good show. And I'm sorry about Rachel. You two seemed like a perfect match."

Patrick lets out a chuckle. "Well sometimes looks can be deceiving."

He watches as David smiles and gives him a once over before softly speaking, "Well yes, I guess they can be."

And right then and there Patrick knows he's in trouble.

* * *

  
David sits on the sofa as Patrick talks to Stevie about what's been happening at the motel. His eyes keep going back to Patrick. He recognized him almost immediately, _The Not So Dearly Departed_ was one of his favorite paranormal shows. Patrick is even better looking in person, his hair is longer than on the show and David can see a hint of curl. Plus mostly filming in the dark and in the winter apparently had hid some very nice muscles and a very nice as--

A throat clearing brings David out of his musings and he looks up to see a very amused Stevie and a blushing Patrick looking at him. Oh my god, had he just been staring at Patrick this whole time? Or worse, Patrick’s ass? Stevie apparently takes pity on him and rescues him before he can fully freak out.

"Patrick needs one of us to show him around the motel and I really should stay here in case any guests show up so I told him you would do it." Her eyes widen innocently but David knows her too well and he also doubts anyone will be coming in, but he's an adult so he can definitely take Patrick on a tour. Not a problem at all.

Patrick turns and smiles at him and David’s heart speeds up a bit. When Patrick smiles the corners of his mouth turn upside down in the cutest way. David shakes his head, what the fuck is wrong with him? A cute guy walks in and apparently he loses his mind? Patrick is here to help them in a professional capacity and that's it. David stands up and smiles at Patrick.

"I can definitely do that."

Patrick nods before turning back to Stevie. "Can I get the key to room 4? I can drop my stuff off in there before David shows me around."

David’s eyes widen, why would Patrick want to stay in room 4? That's where the creepiest stuff happens! "Why would you want to stay in room 4? That's where the creepiest stuff happens!" He snaps his mouth shut, because apparently now he just speaks whatever his mind says.

Patrick just nods at him, "That’s kind of why actually. I can set up my equipment while I'm sleeping and hopefully we can catch something. Also if there is something there, trying to get them to interact with me could help us figure out if it's something residual or more intelligent."

Of course David knows all this, he's been watching ghost shows most of his life. Plus Patrick’s a professional and obviously knows what he's doing. He walks around the desk and grabs the room 4 key, ignoring Stevie's amused look. He walks back to Patrick and hands him the key. "That makes sense, I can help with your stuff if you want?" He can feel Stevie staring at him but he ignores her. He's offered to help people before, he has no ulterior motive here, if helping Patrick means seeing his forearms flex under the weight of carrying the equipment, well that's just a bonus.

Patrick smiles his adorable smile, "That'll be great, thanks David."

David smiles back and follows Patrick out to his vehicle, stopping short and letting out a short bark of a laugh when he sees the name on the side of the sedan. "That’s the Spirit Ghost Hunting?"

Patrick just shakes his head. "Ray says it's a very clever play on words. I'm just grateful it's one of those peel off decals."

Patrick opens the trunk and starts taking out equipment and David pretends not to notice that he's handing him the lightest stuff. He leads the way to room 4, stepping aside to let Patrick open the door. He hesitates a moment before stepping inside, he hasn’t been in here since before the guy died, and he's not sure how it's possible but the room definitely feels different. A shudder works its way through his body. He definitely doesn't like how it feels in here, it's so creepy.

"Are you okay?"

David nods, "Yeah-yes. It just feels weird in here."

Patrick puts his bags down and looks around the room. "I have nothing to compare it to, but it definitely has a heavy feeling, which isn't unusual in places that might have paranormal activity. Why don't you show me other spots where things have happened and then I'll start setting up stuff for tonight."

"Okay, I guess that would mostly be my parent's room and the room I share with my sister." David watches Patrick for a reaction to that statement but Patrick just nods and waits for David to lead the way. So he does.

* * *

  
After showing Patrick around David heads to his room and leaves him to set up all his cameras and recording devices. He decides to make the lobby his base for the computer set up. He doesn't expect Stevie or David to investigate with him but he's hoping they'll be willing to keep an eye on the computers and tell him if they notice anything out of the ordinary. As he's setting everything up he runs through the things he wants to do tonight, it has been awhile since he's done a solo investigation so he hopes he isn't too rusty. It takes a few hours to get everything up and running and once he's done he heads back to the lobby to see if maybe David and Stevie want to share a pizza for dinner.

He finds them in the same positions as when he first met them, only they are both scrolling through their phones. They both look up as he closes the door behind him and walks up to the front desk and leans against it.

"Hey, I'm all set up and was wondering if you wanted to share a pizza? I always like to eat a few hours before an investigation."

Stevie nods, "There’s a place in Elmdale that delivers out here."

David looks at Patrick, "This is a very important question Patrick. What do you like on your pizza and why is sausage and mushrooms the correct answer?"

Patrick tries to school his face into a serious look, "No anchovies?"

David shakes his head, "Absolutely not! That's incorrect."

Stevie chimes in, "What about pineapple?"

David shoots her a glare, "That’s enough out of you, you already know that fruit should only be used for some desserts and as a last resort snack. It definitely does not belong on pizza."

Patrick can't help teasing him, "Well technically the tomato is considered a fruit, so--" He watches as David stands up and tosses his hands in the air and goes on an impressive rant about why the tomato despite being a fruit is an acceptable choice on pizza. Patrick is completely enamored by him, he’s never met anyone like him before. It's almost like meeting a unicorn. If the unicorn was tall, dark and handsome and also wore the hell out of skirted pants and black sweaters. He holds up his hands in surrender, though if time wasn't an issue he could watch David talk all day.

"I admit defeat, sausage and mushrooms it is."

"And garlic knots."

Patrick smiles, "Whatever you want David."

David smiles his half smile back at him, "Thank you."

After they order the pizza, they all sit down and Patrick goes over what's going to happen during the investigation. Stevie readily agrees to watch the computers, but David offers another option.

"I could help you, if you want? I know I'm not a professional but I have been watching these types of shows for years and once an ex-girlfriend and I took part in a Halloween ghost hunt in the Catacombs in Paris, and the leader said I was very knowledgeable. Um, but if you think I'll be in the way, I can just help Stevie."

Patrick definitely doesn't want that, "No, no you can definitely help. I'd like that." Patrick smiles at him and is thrilled when David smiles back in return revealing his dimples. Patrick glances down at his notebook, more to give his heart rate a chance to slow down than to look at his notes.

"Okay so I guess we will start with rooms 7 and 8 and then move on to room 4. Stevie I know you mentioned that at first you thought it might just be kids playing a prank so I set up an exterior camera that will catch anyone trying to get into room 4. I have multiple cameras in all three rooms, plus digital recorders. During the actual investigation David and I will use an EMF reader and a thermal imaging camera. The EMF will detect electromagnetic fields in the room, there is the belief that spikes in energy might mean there is spirit activity. Though it's important to rule out any natural causes for the spike like wires or a circuit breaker. The thermal imaging camera can detect temperature fluctuations which could also indicate a spirit. A newer piece of equipment I sometimes use is something called a spirit box. It rapidly scans through multiple audio channels and there is the belief that ghosts can use those channels to speak. Personally, I'm not sure about it as a ghost hunting tool because I haven't had much success with it, but we will have it at our disposal if we want to use it. Stevie you will be watching the computers, if you notice anything out of the ordinary, say an object moving or a shadow that you can’t explain, then all you need to do is make note of it and call us on the walkie-talkie. Any questions?"

David speaks up, "Do you think we can get rid of whoever is here?"

"I think so, in my experiences most ghosts just need a little encouragement to move on. On our show we had a few cases that were more difficult and more had to be done. If that's the case here there are options and I can call Rachel if we need help."

Stevie raises an eyebrow at that, "You two are still friendly?"

Patrick chuckles as David hisses "Stevie!"

"No it's okay. Rachel and I are great, we ended things very amicably. She's my best friend, and I called her this morning to explain the case and she offered her help if we needed it."

The lobby door opens and Patrick stands up to meet the delivery person at the door and pay for the pizza. The three of them eat and talk about the motel and the town and for the first time since coming to Schitt’s Creek Patrick can see himself staying here for the foreseeable future.

* * *

  
David follows Patrick into his parents room. The lights are all off and they each have a small flashlight. David sits on the bed while Patrick pulls out one of the chairs and sits at the table. He pulls out a digital recorder and sets it on the table.

"I thought we could start by just asking some basic questions and then we can play it back to see if we get any responses. If we do we can use some other equipment to see if we get anything. If it's quiet we can go to your room and do the same thing."

David nods, "Okay."

"Feel free to ask questions, just make sure you leave a few seconds in between each question so we can hear if they say anything."

Patrick hits play and asks the first question.

"Is there anyone here with us?"

"Can you tell us your name?"

"Why are you here?"

David adds a few of his own.

"How many of you are here?"

"Did you destroy my mom's wig?"

They ask a few more questions and then Patrick plays it back several times but they don't hear any responses.

Patrick stands up and walks around the room checking on his equipment to make sure everything is in order. He turns to David.

"Everything looks okay, why don't we head into your room and see if we find anything."

David nods and leads the way into his room. "Is it unusual that we didn't get anything? On tv they always seem to get responses."

"TV is edited to keep people interested. We often went hours without seeing or hearing anything."

Patrick kicks off his sneakers and goes to Alexis' bed, leaning back on her pillow with his feet straight out in front of him. David mimics his position on his own bed. Before Patrick can turn on the recorder they both hear a soft knock come from the direction of the bathroom. David swings his flashlight in that direction and turns to Patrick with wide eyes.

"Did you hear that?" He whispers.

Patrick nods and reaches for his EMF reader. He took a base reading earlier and it was almost zero. He walks slowly towards the bathroom and as he gets closer the meter spikes to a 3.6. He turns on the recorder he has in his other hand and places it on the sink. The EMF meter continues to spike. Patrick starts asking questions, similar to the ones they asked in the first room. After a few minutes he turns off the recorder and heads back into the room. He sees David is now sitting up on his bed and goes to sit next to him. He rewinds the recorder and starts playing it back. There is no response to the first few questions. They continue to listen to the playback.

"What's your name?"

A warbled voice comes through with one word. "Mo."

David looks at Patrick, his hand reaching out to touch his forearm and though it's dark Patrick can see his eyes widen in shock. "Did you hear that?"

Patrick nods trying to ignore the heat from where David’s hand lays on his arm. He clears his throat and plays it back, and there's definitely a response. He plays through the rest of the questions but they don't hear anything else.

Patrick turns it off and turns back to David, "Does that name mean anything to you?"

David shakes his head and removes his hand. Patrick wishes he'd put it back. "I don't think so."

"Okay well maybe it does to Stevie. We can ask when we check in later."

Patrick scans the room again with the EMF but levels are back to normal. They sit together in the dark for a few minutes but when nothing else happens they decide to move on to room 4.

* * *

David follows Patrick to room 4, shaking out his hand as he walks behind him. He hadn’t meant to reach out to Patrick and he definitely didn't expect the warmth that spread through his body at the touch. He puts it in a box to analyze later because now they are standing in front of Room 4 and David can’t help but feel nervous at the thought of going in there, especially after hearing the voice on the recorder.

"I'm a little nervous." He rolls his eyes, of course that's what he blurts out.

Patrick turns to look at him and offers him a smile, "You don't have to come in with me, you can hang out with Stevie and watch the computers if you want."

David shakes his head, "No it's okay, I want to stay with you."

Patrick smiles again before turning to open the door. They both immediately feel the chill, it's definitely colder than the other rooms they've been in.

"Well those definitely weren't like that when I left earlier."

David looks around Patrick’s shoulder and his eyes widen in shock. The chairs are on top of the table and all the chest drawers are pulled open. They quickly put the room back in order and then Patrick pulls out the EMF reader and starts scanning around the room.

"Stevie said the chairs were like this once when she came in but she never said anything about the drawers."

Patrick nods as he looks down at the reader's screen. "These numbers are off the charts." He walks over to one of the beds and opens a case, pulling out what looks like a camera with a large screen. "I'm going to do a thermal scan."

David nods even though Patrick can't see him in the dark. He follows Patrick around the room and his eyes keep darting to the screen. His breath stutters when he sees something on the screen. A shape that's a different color than the rest of the screen, it actually looks like a person standing there.

He whispers to Patrick, "What is that?"

Patrick whispers back, his eyes darting between the bathroom door where the shape is and the screen. "I'm not sure. It looks to be about my height whatever it is."

Before David can answer the bathroom door slams shut and both David and Patrick stumble back in shock at the sudden noise. Their feet get tangled and they end up falling back on the bed, Patrick’s elbow connecting with David’s stomach.

"Ooof" David breaths out as his arms instinctively grab onto Patrick. They stay that way for a few seconds and David can’t help but notice how nice Patrick smells. Before he can figure out exactly what the scents are Patrick is unwrapping himself from David’s limbs and sitting up on the bed, so David does the same.

"I'm sorry David, are you okay?"

David feels a bit terrified but physically he's okay. "Yeah I'm fine. What the fuck just happened though?"

"Well something definitely made the bathroom door slam, and since I know the window is closed I definitely can't explain what it was." He reaches for the camera that fell on the floor during their stumble and scans the spot where they saw the figure, but there's nothing there now.

He stands up and walks to the door and opens it stepping into the bathroom, but he’s back out a few moments later.

"Whatever was there is gone now. I'm thinking maybe it's time to break out the spirit box and see if we can get anything. This room definitely feels heavier and colder than the others. I think whatever is here is something different."

"Has that ever happened to you before?"

"No, I've seen images on the thermal before but never that close to me and I've never had a door slam like that before."

David watches as he takes out a small disc shaped device and turns it on. The sound is loud in the quiet room. Patrick sits next to David on the bed, close enough that their thighs touch. David is comforted by it and wonders if maybe Patrick is a little scared too.

"So how does this work?" David asks, indicating the device in Patrick’s hands.

"This scans through multiple audio channels and some in the field believe that makes it easier for a spirit to communicate. You can ask questions or just listen for any words."

They sit in silence for a few minutes trying to hear anything that can be construed as a voice but all David hears is static. Patrick starts asking questions.

"Who are you?"

"Why are you here?"

"Will you talk to us?"

They don't get any responses but before David can ask a question what sounds like a growl spills from the machine followed by one word. The voice sounds female.

" **Leave**!"

Patrick looks at David, and then starts asking more questions. David is stunned when they receive several responses.

"Why should we run?"

" **Die.** "

"Who are you?" David asks.

" **Fuck you**."

Both of those sound more masculine playing into Patrick’s opinion of two different spirits.

"Do you mean us harm?"

" **YES.** " The masculine voice answers and a chill runs down David’s spine.

The sound of the walkie talkie saying "Guys" cuts through the noise and both of them jump. Patrick lets out a self-conscious chuckle and quickly turns off the spirit box. He stands up and picks up the walkie talkie from the other bed where he'd put it when they first came into the room.

"What's up Stevie?"

Stevie's voice cuts through the silence and David thinks she sounds excited. "Patrick I was looking at the camera you have outside of room 4 and I swear to god it looked like a figure was standing outside the door for a second."

"Okay, we will be out in a minute to look. Thanks Stevie."

David watches as Patrick puts the spirit box and thermal camera back in his case. He walks back to the bed and turns on the light between the beds. David blinks rapidly a few times as his eyes adjust to the light. He stands up and looks at Patrick.

"Wow, that was a lot."

Patrick, "Are you okay?"

David nods, "Are you?"

"I think so but I've never had a spirit box session like that. Whatever is in this room isn't good. I think I'm going to call Rachel and ask her if she can join us tomorrow. I definitely don’t think I can fix this by myself."

"How bad is it? Are we in danger?"

"I'm honestly not sure, which is another reason why I want to call Rachel. If she can connect with either of these entities we can get some answers. I definitely don't think I should stay in this room though and we should definitely all stick together for the rest of the night."

"We can all stay in my room, and we can figure out the sleeping arrangements later."

Patrick nods. "Why don't you head to the lobby. I'm just going to make sure the cameras and digital recorders are in working order and then I'll join you."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, I'll just be a few minutes."

David nods and turns to leave the room. He opens the door and turns back to Patrick. "I'm glad you're here."

Patrick smiles softly at that, "I am too."

David smiles back before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him. He takes a deep breath and heads to the lobby.

* * *

Stevie has been keeping an eye on the computers for the last few hours. With the exception of seeing what looked like a figure outside and to be honest for her that was enough activity for one night, things have been quiet in the lobby. She has definitely been keeping her eyes on David and Patrick throughout the night though, and what she has seen has definitely been interesting. The men tended to gravitate towards each other as the investigation carried on. There had been light touches throughout the night and of course the acrobatic tumble into the bed, and in Stevie's opinion they may have lingered there a little longer than necessary. Definitely interesting. She notices David leave room 4 and quickly head towards the lobby. She raises her eyebrows as he enters the room.

David shakes his head and sits on the couch. "That was a lot."

"I couldn't hear anything but you guys seemed pretty tense for a little while."

David nods his head, "I think there is something not so nice in that room Stevie. Patrick is going to stay with us tonight."

"Well that will be interesting with only two beds."

David throws her a look, "You and I can share a bed Stevie, we have before."

"Are you sure that's what you want? The two of you seem to be getting along pretty well tonight."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I was watching the two of you on the computers and all I'm saying is that you stayed pretty close all night. And would it really be a big deal for the two of you to share a bed tonight? Technically you already did that earlier."

David throws his hands in the air, "Seriously Stevie? We were in a stressful situation and that fall was totally an accident."

"You seem flustered."

"I'm not flustered."

Stevie smiles at him, "I like this for you."

"There’s nothing to like, I just met him. And did you forget he has a fiancée?"

"Ex-fiancée." Stevie reminds him.

David just shakes his head but before he can respond Patrick enters the lobby, holding a small overnight bag. Stevie tosses David a look, letting him know this conversation is far from over.

* * *

Patrick walks into the lobby and feels a bit self-conscious as both Stevie and David turn to look at him. He feels like maybe he was the topic of conversation before he came in. He hopes he hasn't been too obvious about his attraction to David, he doesn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. He sets his bag down by the front desk and walks to where Stevie is sitting by the computer screens.

Patrick goes to the computers and sits next to Stevie, rewinding the footage from outside room 4 and Stevie is right for a brief moment a figure does seem to appear right outside the door. Patrick makes sure all the video is saved then shuts everything down for the night.

"Thanks for being our eyes and ears tonight Stevie. I hope it wasn't too much trouble?"

Stevie stands up and stretches. "Not at all. It looked like you guys had some stuff happen tonight."

Patrick nods, "Definitely, which reminds me, does the name Mo mean anything to you?"

Stevie's eyes widen and she looks between the two men. "Wh-why do you ask?"

David stands up and walks towards them, "While we were in my room that name came over the recorder. Are you okay?" He places his hand on her arm.

Stevie shakes her head, "I'm not sure? Umm, my Aunt Maureen went by Mo. When I was a kid I would call her Aunt Mo Mo."

"And your Aunt Maureen owed this motel?"

Stevie nods her head, "Yeah, she left it to me when she died. Why would she be here? Is she okay?"

Patrick offers her a reassuring smile, "It could be as simple as she feels comfortable here. We heard her in Room 8 and nothing in there felt dangerous or sad. The same can't be said for Room 4. There definitely is something in there that doesn’t seem nice. I have a few more questions for you both, if that's okay?"

David and Stevie give their affirmation and Patrick continues. "Did the activity start before or after the man died in room 4?"

"I noticed a few things before he died, but no one here took me seriously." David says while shooting Stevie a pointed look.

Patrick smiles at David. "I take you seriously, David. Tell me what happened."

David tells Patrick about his belongings being moved around with no explanation and how sometimes it looked like someone had been sitting on his bed. Stevie chimes in and mentions that she thought she heard a female laugh.

"And those things never scared you?"

David shakes his head, "No, I was mostly annoyed that no one seemed to believe me."

"Okay, so after the man died in Room 4 things got more scary?"

Stevie nods, "Yeah, definitely. Especially in that room."

"Okay, well I called Rachel before I came back in here. She's working on a case a few hours away but she agreed to drive here tomorrow to see if she can make a connection with whatever or whoever is here. That's all we can do for now so I guess we can just call it a night and head to your room David? If that's still okay?"

"Yes, of course. Stevie and I will share my bed and you can use Alexis' bed."

Patrick smiles, "That works. Thank you David."

* * *

  
Stevie calls the shower upon the three of them entering the room so David lays out his pajamas and sits on the edge of his bed while she showers. He watches as Patrick does the same on Alexis' bed. David tries not to ogle Patrick as he's bent over his bag but all of Patrick’s back and shoulder muscles, not to mention a very nice looking ass are all on display and well David’s only human. He quickly looks up as Patrick turns around. He notices Patrick’s face redden a bit so maybe he wasn't as fast as he hoped. David clears his throat.

"It's very nice of Rachel to come here."

"Yeah she's great, I'm glad that we could still be friends despite me ending our engagement."

"Can I ask what happened? I'm sorry if that is too forward. It's really none of my business."

Patrick shakes his head and walks towards David, indicating the spot next to David. "Is it okay if I sit here?"

David nods and shifts over towards the end of the bed, making room for Patrick. He watches as he sits down, close but keeping some space between them and waits from him to speak.

"Rachel and I were together for a long time, we actually met in our high school ghost hunting group. I liked her, she was pretty and funny and we had fun together. All my friends were pairing up and it seemed inevitable that we should too, so we did. As much as I loved her, it never felt like I was really in love with her, something always felt off. But I pushed those feelings aside and just thought it was how things were supposed to be. We broke up when I went away for school but on Winter Break we got back together. And the cycle kept repeating itself. When we were together we would do ghost hunting events on our school breaks and then after graduation we would do them on the weekends. Then about three years ago there was an online contest for a television network, the prize was a ghost hunting show on the cable network. Rachel wanted to enter and I was trying so hard to make her happy because I knew she didn't understand why I couldn't commit, so we entered the contest. And we actually won. They loved the idea of us doing the show as a couple and suggested it might be even better if we were engaged. It was such a terrible reason to get engaged but I just wanted to make her happy. The show was a success and while we were on our season three hiatus earlier this year there was pressure to get married and I panicked. I told Rachel I needed some time to think and went and stayed at my family cabin for a few weeks. I did a lot of soul-searching and realized I couldn't marry Rachel, I didn't love her the way she deserved to be loved. It wouldn't be fair to either of us. So I went back and we talked and we cried but we came out of that conversation with a friendship that I cherish. The network wasn't as understanding and they terminated my contract. Which is why I ended up here working for Ray. I needed a new place and time to figure out who I am." Patrick sniffs and wipes at his eyes, laughing self-consciously.

"Sorry."

David shakes his head and before he can second guess himself reaches out and places a hand on Patrick’s knee. "Please don't apologize, Patrick. I think it's very brave what you did. I'm proud of you."

A smile lights up Patrick’s face. 'Thank you, David." David watches as Patrick’s eyes quickly dart to his lips and back up to his eyes.

David feels himself leaning in, and notices Patrick do the same. As he leans in closer he whispers, "And did you figure things out?"

He senses more than sees Patrick nod. "I definitely think I'm starting too."

David smiles and closes the gap between them. The kiss is chaste, just a firm press of warm lips, but it's the best first kiss of David's life. Patrick sighs and opens his mouth slightly. Before David can respond a crash from the bathroom has them jumping apart as Stevie shouts from the bathroom.

"Sorry, I'm fine."

David looks at Patrick, who has a look of wonder or is it shock on his face? He turns to look at David and smiles.

"Thank you."

David shakes his head, "For what?"

"I've never done that before...with a guy and now I know why it never worked with Rachel. That kiss felt like my first time."

David smiles in return. "Well fortunately I'm a very generous person."

Patrick smiles and nudges him with his shoulder. He glances at the closed bathroom door before leaning in and pressing his lips quickly to David’s. He pulls back and softly asks, "Can we talk tomorrow?"

David nods. "We can talk whenever you'd like."

Patrick nods and heads to his bed as the bathroom door opens and Stevie comes into the room. David stands up and grabs his stuff before heading to the bathroom. He closes the door and rests his head against it, and he can't stop the huge smile that blooms across his face.

* * *

  
_Day 9_

Patrick slowly opens his eyes and looks at the clock, it's barely 7am and dawn is just starting to peek through the windows of the motel room. He looks over at the other bed and smiles at David and Stevie sleeping peacefully. Despite all that had happened in room 4 last night, things had been quiet in here the rest of the night. He couldn't help glancing at David one more time, thinking about what had happened on that bed. It had been the best kiss of his life, it had felt like everything inside of him had shifted a little bit and fallen into place. He touches his fingertips to his lips and smiles. He feels like everything in his life is about to change, but in the best possible way. He quietly gets up and rummages through his bag for the running clothes he always packs on any trip, and then heads to the bathroom. A few minutes later he leaves the motel room and starts a slow jog towards town.

He runs for about an hour before heading to the small park just outside of town. He does a few stretches to cool down before sitting on one of the benches. He leans back and closes his eyes, letting his heart rate come down. After a minute he sits forward and pulls his phone out of his pocket and before he can second guess himself, quickly dials a number.

"Rach? Hey, I know you're probably getting ready to get on the road but something amazing has happened and I need to talk to someone about it. I think I've met someone."

* * *

  
David slowly opens his eyes and wonders why an arm is lying across his face before he remembers he's sharing a bed with Stevie because Patrick is in the other one. Patrick...who he kissed last night. Patrick who had never kissed a man before but smiled and thanked him and then kissed him again. He turns to look at the other bed but frowns seeing that it's empty. Did he leave in the middle of the night? It wouldn't be the first time that has happened to him. He quickly sits up forgetting about Stevie who almost falls out of the bed.

"Wha--ugh David! What the hell?"

David looks at her and frowns, "Sorry. Patrick’s gone."

Stevie sits up and looks over at the bed and then at the table. "His stuff is still here. He probably just went to check on his equipment or something."

David glances at the table and his stomach unclenches when he sees Patrick’s bag. "Oh, I hadn't noticed."

Stevie just looks at him, "Why did you think he left?" Her eyes go almost comically wide and she smacks his arm. "Did something happen last night?"

David just looks at her before getting up and walking around the room. "No, of course not. I just…" He huffs out a breath before looking at her. "Fine we may or may not have kissed last night while you were taking a shower."

Stevie opens her mouth in glee, "I knew there was something going on between the two of you. How was it?"

"It was nice, actually it was great. He's great but he probably already has regrets." David looks down at his fingertips before looking back up at Stevie. There's almost always regrets when it comes to people and David. It's what he's used to.

Stevie is just looking at him. David knows that look, it's her don't be an ass look. He's very familiar with that look.

He just shrugs at her, "What?"

"David, I know shitty things have happened to you in the past and those people all suck, but I don't know Patrick just seems different. I mean the only ex of yours I've met is Sebastian but even barely knowing Patrick I know he's a hundred times the man that ass clown is."

David smiles, leave it to Stevie to tell it like it is. "You're right, he's definitely better than any of my exes and I know we just met but I think I really like him and I don't want to mess it up."

Stevie stands up and heads for the bathroom. "Then don't, just be yourself. He kissed you so obviously he likes you. YOU. I meant what I said last night, I like this for you."

David watches as the door closes behind her. He goes to sit on his bed and takes a few deep breaths. Unlike the birthday clown he thinks Patrick will come back.

* * *

Patrick juggles the drink carrier and takeout bag as he opens the door to room 8. It's empty but he can hear someone moving around in the bathroom. At least he hopes it's a person. He puts the drinks and muffins on the table and then reaches into his bag for some clothes to change into after he showers. He thinks back to the conversation he had with Rachel earlier, it was a good talk and Rachel had offered him some sound advice, mostly about letting things happen naturally and not rushing into anything. This was all new territory for Patrick, and while he had mostly figured out on his own that he was attracted to men, kissing David had definitely cleared up any lingering questions. But he barely knows David and he definitely wants to change that but he also knows going slow is important too. He doesn't want to mess this up. The bathroom door opens and he smiles as David walks out. He can't help but give him a once over, taking in his tight white jeans, and his soft looking animal print sweater. He looks great. He smiles.

"Hey."

David smiles softly in return and walks over to him leaning down to place a soft kiss on his cheek. Patrick lets out a little laugh at that, he's never been the shorter person when it comes to kissing and he finds he doesn't hate the feeling. David steps back and looks at him.

"You were gone this morning?"

Patrick nods, "Yeah, I could not sleep. So I went for a jog to clear my head."

David nods, "Regrets?"

Patrick shakes his head, confused. Why would David think he had regrets? "What? No, no regrets."

"Sorry I think it's just a habit to ask."

Patrick reaches out to touch him, "David, I absolutely have no regrets. I feel like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders. So no, no, definitely no regrets."

David smiles, his dimples showing and Patrick falls a little more. David has so many smiles, so many different expressions. Patrick wants to catalog them all. He wants to make a spreadsheet and call it _The amazing intricacies of David Rose's beautiful face._ He reaches up and places a soft kiss on his lips before stepping to the table. He pulls one of the cups out of the holder and hands it to David.

"One caramel macchiato, skim, two sweeteners and a sprinkle of cocoa powder. Twyla told me your order, so hopefully it's right."

He watches as David’s face grows soft as he takes a sip and nods. "It's perfect, thank you Patrick."

Patrick grins, "You're welcome. I also grabbed a black coffee for Stevie and some muffins. I wasn’t sure what you guys liked so I got us a few of each. I'm gonna hop in the shower then go check the equipment in room 4. Rachel should be here around 1."

David nods and reaches for the other cup and the bag of muffins. "Okay, I'll make sure Stevie doesn't eat all the muffins, you know how she is."

Patrick laughs, "If I recall correctly it wasn't Stevie who ate almost a whole pizza by themselves last night."

David raises one of his amazing and expressive eyebrows, "I will not feel any shame for enjoying very good pizza Patrick."

Patrick smiles and reaches up to kiss him on the cheek. "Noted. I'll meet you in the lobby in a little bit." He grabs his clothes and heads for the bathroom.

He turns on the shower and quickly gets undressed. He steps in and lets the warm water wash over him. He has no idea how long the hot water will last so he makes quick work of it. When he's done he turns off the water and pulls back the shower curtain, he glances at the bathroom mirror and he lets out a surprised chuckle. There's a heart drawn in the steam. Seems like maybe he has Maureen's approval.

He steps out of the shower and towels himself off and quickly gets dressed. He wants to go check on room 4, he doesn't have time to playback all the video and audio but he just wants to make sure everything's okay. He walks out of the bathroom and sits on the bed pulling on his mountaineering shoes before standing up and heading out the door and going to room 4.

He pulls out the key Stevie gave him yesterday and opens the door and walks in. He stops short just a few steps from the doorway in shock. The room has been destroyed, that’s the only way to describe it. The camera and tripod he set up in the corner of the room are knocked over and the other cameras are also on the floor. The table and chairs are knocked over and the bedding from both beds are strewn about the room. The room is also freezing causing goosebumps to spring up on Patrick’s forearms. He notices a shadow in the corner of the room but before he can react to it the door slams shut behind him. He swings around and turns the knob but it won't move. He tries pulling it as hard as he can but it still won't open. He's trapped. He hears something move next to him and feels something cold run down his face. He closes his eyes.

* * *

  
Stevie is sitting behind the desk pretending to play sudoku, while David scrolls instagram on his phone. A loud crash has them both looking at each other before jumping up.

"What was that?"

Stevie shakes her head, "I'm not sure but it sounded like it came from outside."

David walks quickly to the door, exclaiming "Patrick!" pulling it open and walking quickly to room 4. The door is closed. He pulls at the knob but it's like the door is stuck because it won't open. He hears Stevie come up behind him. "Do you have the key?"

Stevie pulls a ring of keys out of her pocket, rifling through them until she finds the right one. She puts it in the lock but it won't turn. She turns to David, a panicked expression on her face. "It won't open!"

A scream rings out from behind the door and David starts pounding on the door. "OMG! PATRICK! PATRICK!" He starts pulling on the door as hard as he can but nothing happens. He has no idea what is happening and he's never been so scared in his life.

He looks at Stevie, "We need to get him out of there!"

Stevie nods, "I think the old shed in the back has an ax, maybe we can use that to break the lock. I'll be right back." He watches as she turns and runs down the sidewalk. He turns back to the door and shouts out hoping Patrick can hear him.

"Patrick just hold on, we are going to get you out. Just hold on." He senses someone behind him and turns expecting to see Stevie but there's no one there. All of a sudden he feels something cold rush through his body and the door behind him swings open. He turns back and sees Patrick stumble out and David reaches his arms out and catches him before he falls. Patrick wraps his arms around him and holds him tight. David can feel him shaking. He squeezes him tightly against him before pulling back just enough to get his eyes on Patrick. He looks okay, just shaken up.

The door to room 4 slams shut but David barely pays attention. He leads Patrick away from the door, and sits him on the chairs outside of the lobby. He kneels down in front of him not even caring about his jeans. He takes Patrick’s face in his hands and looks at him. Patrick looks back, his eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

Patrick shakes his head, "I don't know--I think so?"

David leans forward and places a kiss on his forehead. He hears Stevie come around the corner and watches as she runs up to them. If the circumstances were different he might have laughed at her, bent over and huffing and puffing, all the while tightly gripping a rusty old ax.

"Is he okay? Are you okay?" She asks.

Patrick tells her he's okay and David turns his attention back to him.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Patrick shakes his head, "I'm not even sure. As soon as I opened the door I could see the room had been wrecked but before I could even figure anything out the door slammed shut and I couldn't open it. Then something touched me and all I felt was horrible pain. I think I screamed and then the next thing I remember is the door flying open and something shoving me out." Patrick rubs his hand over his face, and takes several deep breaths. "I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life."

David pulls him up out of the chair and into a hug. Patrick tucks his head into David’s neck and holds on to him. He sees Stevie put down the ax next to the lobby door and he reaches for her pulling her into the hug too.

That's how Rachel finds them a few minutes later.

* * *

  
Rachel pulls into the parking lot of the unassuming motel. She notices three people hugging in front of the building and as she pulls closer she notices one of the people in the hug is Patrick and he looks pretty shaken. She throws her car in park and jumps out, running towards them.

"Patrick? What's going on?"

The three people pull apart and Patrick looks over at her.

"Rach?" His face crumples slightly and Rachel closes the distance and pulls him in her arms. He wraps his arms around her and holds her tightly. She rubs her hands up and down his back and looks at the other two people standing next to him.

"What happened?"

The man, David perhaps, looks at her. He looks uncertain as he takes in their embrace but takes a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not really sure. He was trapped in room 4 but we couldn't get the room open. He was screaming." His voice broke a little at those words and Patrick pulls away and looks at David.

"David, it's okay, I'm okay." He reaches out and squeezes David’s hand. David seems surprised at the contact but nods. They look at each other for a few moments before Patrick looks back at Rachel.

"Sorry, I should introduce you. Rachel, this is David, he lives here at the motel. And this is Stevie. She owns The Rosebud Motel. This is Rachel, ex-fiancée, best friend, and medium extraordinaire."

Rachel smiles at them. "It's nice to meet you both."

The woman, Stevie smiles back at her but David seems more reserved, like he's not sure what to make of her. She can't really blame him, he’s obviously interested in Patrick and then here comes the ex-fiancée rushing in to comfort the man he likes. Not to mention she's here because the motel he lives at is apparently haunted and just attacked the man he has feelings for. It's a lot to take in. She hopes she can reassure him that he has nothing to worry about when it comes to her. She smiles at him.

"David, it's nice to meet you. Patrick has told me a lot about you, it's nice to put a face with the name."

David raises one very impressive eyebrow and looks at Patrick quickly before turning back to Rachel.

"Really? And what-what did he tell you?"

Rachel smiles at him, "All good things, in fact he couldn't stop talking about you."

Patrick lets out a nervous chuckle and rubs a hand across the back of his reddening neck. "Come on Rach."

Rachel looks at Patrick and winks before turning back to look at David who's looking so fondly at the man she was going to marry that it takes her breath away for a moment. She's happy for Patrick. He deserves whatever is happening between him and David. She looks at all of them and smiles.

"Is there some place we can go talk?"

Stevie speaks up, "Yeah we can go into the lobby."

Rachel looks at Patrick who smiles at her. "You go ahead, David and I will be along in a minute."

Rachel nods and follows Stevie into the lobby. As the door closes behind her she looks at the brunette. "So what can you tell me about David?"

Stevie smiles, "How long do you have? And I could ask you the same about Patrick."

Rachel laughs and sits on the couch. "Touché. He's a great guy who seems very fond of your friend and that makes me happy because Patrick deserves to be happy. That being said, he's also been through a lot these past few months and I don’t want to see him get hurt."

Stevie nods, "Understood. I can tell you that David has a huge heart, and please don't ever tell him I said that because I have a reputation to uphold. " Rachel laughs at that and Stevie smiles before continuing, "Like I was saying, he has a huge heart and I think he really likes Patrick, who doesn’t seem like a jerk unlike all the people that David’s dated in the past, but he's had a lot of people treat him badly and I definitely don't want that to happen here."

"It sounds like they are both very lucky to have someone to look out for them."

"Damn straight."

Before Rachel can reply the door opens and David and Patrick walk in, looking a bit flushed and disheveled. She sees Stevie smirk at them but she doesn't say anything. David throws her a look which just makes the smirk grow wider.

Stevie looks between the two men and as she glances at Patrick and her eyes widen with what looks like glee.

"What's that on your neck, Patrick? It looks like a mouth shaped sunburn?"

David actually huffs and Patrick looks horrified as he rubs at his neck. Stevie and Rachel look at each other and they both start laughing.

* * *

  
David watches as Rachel follows Stevie into the lobby. She's cute with her long red hair and wide eyes. He couldn't help but notice how perfectly she seemed to fit in Patrick’s arms when they embraced a few minutes ago. They looked good together, like a beautiful Disney princess and her perfect Prince Charming. He can sense all his insecurities unfurling inside his body, and his thoughts start racing. Before they can spiral too far out of control he feels a pressure on his hand and looks down to see Patrick’s hand squeezing his. He looks over and sees Patrick looking at him, his earnest whiskey colored eyes filled with worry. And David hates putting that worry there considering what Patrick has just been through.

"David are you okay?"

David nods, he can pretend with the best of them. "Yep, all good. Rachel seems nice."

Patrick shakes his head, "David, you can be honest with me. Tell me what's wrong, please?"

David just looks at Patrick. How can someone he’s only known a day see him so clearly already? It doesn't seem real. Patrick doesn't seem real. But he is, and he's standing in front of him and David so badly wants to let him in. So he opens the door a crack.

"Um, you and Rachel well you seem really close?"

Patrick nods, "We've known each other almost 15 years and I love her, but David I want you to know that Rachel and I will never be together again. I'm definitely 100% gay."

David nods and smiles and the crack opens a little wider. "Well that's useful information to have."

Patrick steps into David’s space, wrapping his hands around David’s waist. David's arms automatically wrap around his neck as if that's where they are meant to be. Patrick looks up at him, "David, when you kissed me, that-that felt like my first time. All the things you're supposed to feel? I felt them."

Patrick leans up and presses his lips to David's. He feels Patrick’s tongue skirt across his bottom lip and David opens his mouth slightly and feels Patrick’s tongue move against his. The kiss deepens and turns more hungry and David moans into the kiss when he feels Patrick’s hands reach under his sweater and run along his spine. He feels himself get lost in the feeling of Patrick’s lips against his, he's kissed a thousand people before but none of them hold a candle to the way Patrick's lips feel on his. He breaks off the kiss to catch his breath, and can't help but smile at the whine that falls from Patrick’s lips. He kisses down the side of Patrick’s neck, sucking on an especially delicious spot by his ear. Patrick lets him linger there for a moment before pulling away slightly.

"David...wait." David stops but can't help the feeling of satisfaction he feels at Patrick’s breathlessness. Still the self-doubt creeps in a little.

"Was that okay? I'm sorry-"

His words are cut-off as Patrick surges up to press his lips against David’s. It's quick but it still makes David’s heart flutter. As the kiss ends, Patrick reaches for his hand.

"David kissing you is more than okay, and I could spend the rest of my life doing it and more, but right now we have to talk to Rachel and figure out what's going on. After we figure everything out I definitely want to pursue this. I'd like to take you out on a date. Okay?"

David smiles and the door to his heart blows wide open. "I'd like that."

Patrick smiles. "Good. Now let's go talk to Rachel and Stevie and find out how to make this place safe again."

David nods and the two head to the lobby. Of course Stevie notices the half hickey on Patrick’s neck, the bridge troll. Stevie has her fun but things turn more serious as the three of them tell Rachel what's been happening the past few weeks and what's happened since Patrick arrived yesterday. He reaches for Patrick’s hand when he tells Rachel about what happened to him in room 4.

Rachel takes notes on everything. She agrees with Patrick about two spirits being present. She tells David and Stevie that she and Patrick will do a walk through of the motel and she'll try and make a connection with whatever is here. Then they can all regroup here in the lobby and figure out the steps to take to make sure the motel is safe again. David doesn't like the idea of Patrick doing the walk-through, especially after what happened this morning, and he says as much to the group. Patrick and Rachel try to assure him that it will be okay that there's things they can do to protect themselves so David reluctantly agrees to go to the café for an hour with Stevie.

As the group prepares to go their separate ways both Stevie and Rachel go outside first, which David is grateful for. They both stand up and David pulls Patrick into a hug, wrapping his arms around the shorter man's neck and shoulders. He tucks his head into Patrick’s neck and whispers, "Please be careful." He feels Patrick kiss his neck before pulling away and looking in David’s eyes.

"I promise."

David nods and the two men leave the lobby and go their separate ways.

* * *

Rachel and Patrick head to rooms 7 and 8 first. Patrick knows how Rachel likes to work so he follows behind her and gives her the space she needs. He’s holding a notebook and pen so he can write down anything she senses or feels. He watches as she walks around using the shared door to go between both rooms. She touches a few wigs on Mrs. Roses wig wall before going into the room David shares with his sister. She enters their bathroom before coming back into the room. She looks at Patrick.

"There's definitely a presence here, a female maybe in her late 60's. She's telling me her name is Maureen. It definitely feels like she's connected to the motel. Maybe she ran it? No, owned it. She's definitely responsible for some of the weird things that have been going on but nothing was done with malicious intent. I feel like at first the things she was doing was just her having fun, especially with David. She likes him."

Patrick smiles, he can't really blame her there, David is definitely easy to like. He stays silent though, so he doesn't interrupt her stream of thought.

"She's showing me doing more things to get everyone's after the other spirit made their presence known. She was trying to scare everyone enough to get them to leave because she felt like the other spirit might hurt them. She was afraid for the guests too which is why she scared them away too. She says she's sorry for destroying the wig and scaring away business. She was just trying to help."

She looks at Patrick. "Does any of this mean anything to you?"

"Yeah before Stevie and eventually Mr. Rose took over the motel, it was owned by Stevie's Aunt Maureen. And the information about the activity makes sense too, the most intense things have definitely happened in room 4 over the past week and not these rooms."

Rachel nods, "Maureen is happy here and wants to stay but only if Stevie and the Roses are okay with it. I told her that I'd ask them. But for now we should head to room 4. First though I want to put a protection around us, especially after what happened to you earlier."

She reaches out her hand and Patrick grabs it, and closes his eyes as Rachel speaks the words intended to protect them from whatever is in room 4. When she's done, she squeezes his hand and then let's it go. Patrick then follows her out of Room 8 and they head to Room 4.

Patrick’s heart rate speeds up as they get closer. He can't help but be a little scared after what happened to him earlier. He takes a few deep breaths as they get to the door. Rachel looks back at him.

"Are you okay? If you don't feel like you can go in, that's okay."

Patrick smiles at her, he appreciates the gesture but he wants to go in and face his fear and also show whatever is in there that they didn't get the best of him. "I'm good, let's do this."

He watches as Rachel opens the door and walks into the room. He follows quickly before he can overthink it. The room looks exactly how it was a few hours ago. He follows Rachel with his eyes as she walks around. She puts her arms out in front of her, with her hands splayed open.

"He's trying to get closer but I won't let him. He's definitely not happy. He keeps saying he shouldn't have died here, that it was fucking bullshit that he died here. I'd say he's probably in his early 70's, he has so much anger inside of him. He won't really let me in but I can sense he wasn't a good person in life, from the glimpses he's letting me see, I'd say he led a very violent life. He's laughing now, saying he's glad he made you scream, that he wants to do it again. He wants to make us all scream."

Patrick knows better than to respond. Antagonizing a spirit is never a good idea, especially one who is angry. He just raises his eyebrows and lets Rachel continue.

"I don't think he ever leaves the room. I'm not sure if it's by choice or because his spirit is trapped in this room. I'm trying to tell him that he can move on, but he won't listen. He just keeps screaming about it being unfair that he's dead."

She turns and looks at Patrick, "We can go for now. I don't want to say anymore here. We can head back to the lobby and wait for Stevie and David and talk about our options."

Patrick nods and follows her out of the room closing the door behind him.

* * *

  
David walks into the lobby and can't help but feel a sense of relief at seeing Rachel and Patrick sitting together on the couch. He smiles as Patrick looks up at him.

"Hi, how did it go?"

Stevie heads to the desk and Rachel moves over to the chair, making room for David on the couch. He smiles at her in thanks as he sits down, close enough to Patrick so that they are touching at their shoulders and legs. David leans in a bit comforted by the warmth of Patrick. He shakes his head a bit at that thought, it's so ridiculous to feel this way so fast. Patrick looks at him and smiles before turning back to his notes that are strewn across the coffee table.

"Rachel was able to connect with both spirits, though one more successfully than the other. Stevie, your Aunt Maureen is definitely here."

David looks up at that and glances at Stevie, who shrugs her shoulders. David just shakes his head, leave it to Stevie to play it cool after finding out the ghost of her aunt has taken up residence at the motel.

Patrick explains what Rachel learned about Maureen including that she'd like to stay here. Stevie finally speaks up.

"Is that okay though? Doesn't she have to move on to be at peace?"

Rachel speaks up, "Not necessarily. If she chooses to be here then that means she's at peace here. Before I leave I can try and connect with her again and tell her that she can choose to move on at any time."

David watches as Stevie nods and turns to David. "Do you think your family would be okay with Aunt Mo staying?"

"Well I'm okay with it, after all everything she did was to try and protect us. I'm not sure my family understands all of this like I do, but if Maureen keeps her distance from them, then I think they'd be okay with it. But we should definitely blame the wig being destroyed on the other ghost if anyone asks."

As soon as David finishes speaking the lobby lights flicker several times. Rachel nods her head, "Maureen is okay with that."

David is feeling a little overwhelmed by this situation, after all how normal is it to strike a deal with a spirit living at your place of residence? Before he can spiral too far into those thoughts, Stevie speaks up.

"What about room 4?"

David sees Patrick and Rachel exchange worried glances. Rachel clears her throat before speaking.

"The guy in room 4 is a lot more complicated. He's very angry and won't listen to reason about leaving."

David frowns, well that doesn't sound good. "What does that mean?"

"It means we will have to force him out, which is possible, but it won't be easy."

As Rachel explains what will have to be done, David can’t help but be nervous. He's watched enough paranormal shows and movies to understand this part but he never thought that he'd be living through it. Stevie volunteers to go to Elmdale with Rachel to pick up a few things that they'll need, while Patrick will stay here and start pulling together the rest of what they'll need to remove the spirit from room 4. Of course David volunteers to help Patrick. The two duos part ways and agree to meet back up in the lobby in an hour. David watches as Stevie and Rachel leave.

"It's okay to be nervous."

David swings his head around and looks at Patrick. "Hmmm?"

Patrick smiles softly, "This is a big unknown thing. I'm just saying it would be totally normal for someone to feel nervous."

David wonders again how Patrick can already read him so well, no one ever has before. Well maybe Stevie, but this feels different. Patrick is different. David shakes his head. "I just never thought in all my years of seeing things like this on my television screen that I'd actually be living through it."

Patrick nods, "I remember being on my first investigation and being so scared. I mean I'd researched the site and had learned all about the equipment and heard countless stories from other group members who'd already been on investigations, but going to that hospital and being in it, I was scared beyond belief. And if I'm being honest. Here? In Room 4? I'm scared too. But Rachel has done this before and I know she can do it here too, and I know we will be okay. I promise, I will make sure you're okay."

David blinks rapidly to fight the tears in his eyes. He can't remember anyone ever promising him that before. He just shakes his head and pulls Patrick to him, pressing a kiss to his lips before wrapping his arms around him.

* * *

Patrick looks at all the supplies he has laid out on David’s bed. Most of what they'll need will be coming back with Rachel and Stevie.

"It's a shame Schitt’s Creek doesn't have a store to get the stuff Rachel needs."

David shrugs his shoulders, "There used to be a general store in town but it was a hot mess, I'm not even sure they would have stocked candles much less fresh sage."

"Is that the empty building across from the café?"

David nods, "It closed a few months ago, rumor was that Christmas World was going to go in there but they backed out at the last minute."

"I'm surprised no one else has put in a bid for it, it seems like a great location and the building's bones seem very nice."

David just looks at him for a moment and Patrick wonders if he's said something wrong. He watches as David closes his eyes and tilts his head back before looking at him again. He nods his head twice before he seems to come to a decision.

"It's funny you should say that because…"

Patrick listens as David talks about his idea for a general but specific store. He can't help but smile at how passionate David is about his idea. And it really it's a great idea. He tells David as much.

"I think that's actually very inventive David. And I love the name, Rose Apothecary, it's just pretentious enough."

David smirks at him. "Would we call that pretentious? Or timeless?"

Patrick chuckles at David and offers to help him get things started. He wants to help David make something beautiful.

"You know David when I'm not hunting ghosts with beautiful men at roadside motels I'm actually Ray's business manager. When this is all over, come by Ray’s and we can talk some more about Rose Apothecary and if you're really interested in moving forward we can start the paperwork and I can also help you apply for some small business grants."

He watches the smile light up David’s face and Patrick vows to do whatever he can to keep that smile on David’s face. It's only been a day, but Patrick wants so many more with David Rose.

The sound of a car door closing brings him out of his thoughts and he walks to the window to look out. He sees Rachel and Stevie heading to the lobby. He turns back to David and holds out his hand. "They're back, are you ready to do this?"

David nods and stands up, quickly walking to Patrick’s side and grabbing his hand. Patrick smiles at him and they leave the room and head to the lobby. There they spend the next hour getting ready to face whatever has taken up residence in room 4.

* * *

  
It was only when they watched the incident back on the camera that they really got the full understanding of what happened that night in Room 4. They knew it had been bad, they only needed to look at the cuts and bruises on their bodies to show them that. But seeing it happen to them after the fact when they were removed from the situation, that's when they realized they all survived something big. Something that would connect them forever.

_Video recording of entity removal in Room 4 of the Rosebud Motel._

The camera is turned on by Patrick, showing the entire room except the front door. He joins the other three and they connect hands to form a circle and Rachel speaks some words of protection. The group then starts cleaning things up, righting the furniture and making the beds. They move the table and chairs to the corner of the room, and press the beds together, leaving the center of the room open. Then they begin placing white candles around the room. When that's done they meet back in the center of the room and talk for a few minutes, Patrick and Rachel explaining everything to David and Stevie so they know what to expect.

Rachel then moves to the center of the room, the other three are around her but giving her space. She pulls out some beads and begins uttering a prayer, her eyes closed. The candles start to flicker, and the others take notice. Rachel continues speaking, eyes closed. A door slams off-camera and the others jump at the sound. A growl pierces through Rachel’s words and the mirror on the wall shatters spraying David and Stevie with pieces of glass. They throw their arms over their heads, to protect themselves. Rachel’s words get louder as Patrick shouts out asking if Stevie and David are okay. They check themselves over and though they both have a few small cuts on their arms and faces, they tell him they are okay.

Patrick nods and reaches for the bag he placed on the bed earlier, pulling out a small glass bottle with a cross on it. Before he can do anything, though, a lamp flies off the table hitting him on the side of his head causing him to stumble back onto the bed. He touches his head and his hand comes away bloody. David runs to him, having grabbed a towel from the bathroom. He kneels down next to Patrick, pressing the towel onto the wound. It stops bleeding pretty fast and after a minute Patrick and David stand up. Rachel starts walking around the room touching the beads to different spots in the room, Patrick follows her spraying water from the bottle throughout the room. Another sound, this time a scream can be heard on camera, so loud that Stevie covers her ears.

Rachel stumbles as if pushed and Patrick reaches out a hand to grasp her elbow. It's obvious she's fighting something but she continues speaking though now she's yelling the words as she stands her ground. Patrick whispers something in her ear and she nods at him, he nods back and continues walking around the room spraying until the bottle is empty.

David is still by the bed when he shouts out Patrick’s name. Patrick runs to him and David yells about coldness and pain. Patrick holds him and shouts out a warning and a plea to leave David alone and hurt him instead. Patrick is thrown away from David and hits the dresser, crumpling to the floor.

All the candles blow out and the lights in the room start flickering on and off. The screams get louder.

Rachel shouts out some final words "Be gone, you are not welcome here" along with some words in Latin and suddenly the room goes quiet and the lights stop flickering. Rachel collapses to the ground in a heap and Stevie quickly moves to her, helping her up and getting her to the pushed together beds. David had rushed to Patrick's side almost before he hit the ground, pulling him into his arms. Patrick tells David he's okay and David helps him up. They both move to the bed where Stevie and Rachel are sitting. They all sit there for a minute, huddled together. Stevie mentions the room feels lighter and the others agree. Rachel stands up and pulls something tightly bunched up out of her pocket. Patrick tells the others it's the sage and they watch as Rachel lights it and walks to all the corners of the room with it. She's speaking softly, so softly that the words are impossible to hear. When she's done she nods to the others and they head to the front of the room. Patrick walks close to the camera reaching behind it. The room fades to black.

* * *

Patrick closes the laptop as the video ends, and looks at the others in the room. They are all battered and bruised but thankfully they are also all okay. Patrick was probably the worst off, his head had a pretty good bruise where the lamp had hit him and he had a gash over his left eyebrow. He's played enough sports in his life to recognize he probably also has some bruised ribs but he knows they just need some time to heal. David had dragged him into the bathroom after they came back from room 4 and insisted on checking out his back which they discovered was covered in bruises. David had asked him if he wanted to go to the ER but Patrick had assured him that he was okay and besides he wasn’t sure the hospital would have believed his explanation for his injuries. 

He glances at David who has a few small cuts on his face but thankfully they were already starting to scab over. Stevie has a few cuts of her own on her hands and Rachel a few bruises on her upper arms but overall they had all escaped with minor injuries. Mentally he thought it might take longer to come to terms with what had happened to them in room 4. He knew that they all would be bonded for life by what they experienced and the details of what really took place would mostly stay between them but he was thankful that they had each other to lean on as they dealt with the aftermath of what happened.

After a few minutes they all stand up from the table where they had watched the video and start getting ready for bed. Rachel and Stevie would be sleeping in David’s room while he and David crashed in his parents room. He knew he should be nervous about sharing a bed with David but he wasn't. He knew they would need to have a conversation about taking things slow but tonight he just wanted to hold David in his arms and sleep.

They all exchange tired smiles and good nights and Patrick and David head to the other room, closing the door behind them. David speaks first.

"You know if I hadn't actually lived through the experience, I'm not sure I would believe what we watched on that video tonight. It seems surreal."

Patrick nodded, "I know what you mean, it's definitely going to take some time to wrap my mind around what we all experienced tonight."

David walks over and gently pulls Patrick into his arms, mindful of his ribs and bruises. "I can never really regret what happened this last week though, because if it hadn't happened then I might not have met you."

Patrick smiles up at him, " I don't know David, I'd like to think we still would have met some other way. Maybe you would have showed up at Ray’s to apply for a business license and I would have been the one to help you."

David smiles as he rubs his hands up and down Patrick’s arms before stepping back and grabbing his pajamas so he can get ready for bed. "I like that, the idea that we would have met no matter what, like the fated flap of a butterfly's wing."

They both get ready for bed quickly as the night's events begin to catch up with them. Patrick turns off the light and climbs into the bed and lies next to David. David opens his arms and Patrick happily tucks into his side. They exchange a few sweet slow kisses before exhaustion pulls them under and within a few minutes they are both asleep.

For the first time in over a week the motel is also quiet around them.

* * *

_Day 498_

David is closing the last box he's packed up. He sighs softly and takes one last look around the room. A lot has happened over the last year and a half. The night after the events in room 4 they had all slept most of the next day away. After a late lunch at Café Tropical they said goodbye to Rachel who promised she'd be back soon. They all knew she would be, what had happened the night before had bonded them together forever.

After Rachel left the three of them cleaned room 4 and then with a sweet kiss to his lips, Patrick headed back to Ray’s with a promise that he'd be back later that night to take David out on their promised first date.

Things moved quickly after that. The rest of the Roses moved back to the motel and David gave them an abbreviated version of what happened over the past few days. The full details of what happened that last night would stay between the four who had experienced it though. His family had seemed satisfied with the explanation that David had given them.

The motel business picked up again and within a few weeks they were fully booked again. Then the money started coming in and much of it went into a remodel of the Rosebud. Mr. Rose and Stevie were even talking about expanding and were looking at a motel a few towns over. Aunt Maureen still made her presence known occasionally, mostly to David and Stevie, but she seemed to mostly keep to herself.

David and Patrick went on their first date, and then their second, third and fourth. David made an appointment to talk about Rose Apothecary and together they formed a business plan and then a partnership. Four months later, they had their soft opening and the business has continued to grow from there. It was at their store where David first called Patrick his boyfriend and where Patrick serenaded him during their first open mic night. David could still feel the hardness of the Apothecary floors from when he'd knelt on them, lip syncing his self-proclaimed olive branch after the worst fight they'd ever had. It was there that they first exchanged 'I Love You's.' And it was at Rose Apothecary where Patrick told him that the cottage David loved so much was for sale, and where they met their realtor (Ray, of course) to sign the papers making them first time homeowners.

And now that cottage is ready to move into so David is packing up the last of his things and saying goodbye to the place he lived at for almost three years. He'd already said a tearful goodbye to his parents and his sister earlier in the day. They were moving on too. His parents' to a townhouse on the outskirts of town and Alexis, who had reconciled with Ted earlier in the year, had decided to move in with him. He looks around their shared rooms one last time. They'd shared a lot of memories here, some bad but a lot more good ones. They'd grown into a real family behind these walls.

He smiles to himself and seals the last box. He hears the door open and close behind him. "Hey, I think this is the last of it. We should only need a few trips to get everything to the cottage." When Patrick doesn't respond, David turns around and his hand immediately flies to his face as he sees Patrick down on one knee by his bed. His eyes fill with tears.

"What's going on?" He thinks he already knows the answer but even now, there is a part of him still afraid to hope. They'd talked about marriage a few times but David didn't want to tempt fate so he tried not to wish for it too much.

Patrick smiles up at him. "David Rose, you are the love of my life. We are about to start a new chapter of our life together and like every other chapter we've lived through, I can't wait to start this one with you. David before I met you, I was just going through the motions, I just thought that was how my life was supposed to be. Then I met you and everything changed. You made me feel right, David. My whole life it felt like I was living in black and white but falling in love with you and now spending my life with you everything is in bright and brilliant color. This room is where we shared our first kiss and where the life I was meant to live started, and it just seemed like the perfect place to ask you to marry me." He flips open the long box he's holding, revealing four golden rings.

David lets out a sob and reaches for Patrick pulling him off the floor and to him. He kisses him soundly on the lips. He's still crying as he pulls back and he quickly nods, "Yes, it's a yes. I love you."

They both let out wet laughs as they embrace. They pull apart enough for Patrick to place the four gold rings on David’s left hand. David looks at them sitting on his fingers and then kisses Patrick again. They both jump slightly as the radio turns on and the opening bars to 'At Last' fill the room. They laugh and wrap their arms around each other as they sway to the music. Patrick smiles up at him.

"I guess we have Maureen's blessing."

David laughs at that, and they continue dancing around the room.


End file.
